The eighth annual ATL Summer Slam, presented by Insider Exposure, saw 134 teams from across the USA compete in Marietta, Georgia (just north of Atlanta). The event, watched at various times by 232 college coaches (mostly division one) colleges, was held in two formats. On July 23-25, teams were placed in brackets (ranging from middle school to rising seniors in age) producing champions and for those who wished for just a game more (or just one game), pre-set exhibition contests were held on July 26. In the past, Summer Slam has been known to be an event where many young players began to develop a reputation on the national stage. This year was no different.

With bracket play, let us first take a brief look at the final of the top bracket for rising seniors and younger…

This was billed as a more talented FGB versus a more athletic Michigan Storm club. In the end, the outcome came down to the Storm playing more team-oriented ball while still being well above average athletically. FGB likely has more future Power 5 players but that is not now. On this date, the Storm was far more willing to share the ball in both the full and half court settings. The Storm let 29-20 at half and FGB could never get closer than three points in the second half. The Storm was led by Tyeshia Bowers (see below) with 18 points and Jordan Walker (see below) with 15 points. FGB was led by LaDazhia Williams (see below) with 17 points.

Below are performers of note seen at the event. There were many more but these stood out on one or more viewing occasions. Players below are listed alphabetically by graduation year with height, position and club team with home town in parenthesis as available.

A good athlete, Crockett showed an ability to score on the fast break. In the quarter court, she looked to attack the basket.

Jordan Walker, 5-6, guard, Michigan Storm – Love (Muskegon, Michigan)

Committed to Western Michigan, Walker showed good versatility in her ability to score hitting threes, mid-range jumpers and attacking the basket.

Alise Davis, 6-0, center, FGB Courtney Williams (Tampa, Florida)

Alise Davis of FGB Courtney Williams. Photo Credit Bob Corwin

The word in the gym was that over the course of the event, Davis was her team’s best player. She is strictly a low block center. A bit undersized, she uses a high motor and strong build to attack the rim and boards with passion. Davis has multiple division one offers on the table.

Ariana Whitfield, 5-6, guard, AD Elite – Peterson (Cypress, Texas)

AD Elite has several guards of Power 5 level. With her team only briefly at Summer Slam to warm up for Adidas Nationals, Whitfield shined in one viewing. She has a strong frame, solid handles and good open court vision. Several times she initiated the offense and then

moved to the wing to knock down three’s. A good athlete, she appeared to be an above average re-bounder for her size. Word in the gym was that she is deciding among a handful of Power 5 offers.

Williams showed her full arsenal in the bracket final. Not known for it, she hit two threes on her way to posting a team high 17 points. Defensively she had multiple blocks. She is currently deciding among several high major offers.

A decent athlete, Vaught is a field general who looks to drive to score. She can hit the three if left open. She helped lead her team to the finals of its bracket. Division one schools are monitoring her progress.

Foster is an athletic lefty who likes to go left when it matters (goes right just to get out of trouble). Her smooth perimeter stroke adds greatly to her value. Her progress is being monitored by Power 5 programs.

Garner is one of the strong bodied players with good hands and size Power 5 programs yearn for. With game around the basket, she needs to watch her conditioning to continue to be able to run the floor successfully.

White has the physical dimensions that Power 5 schools long for, namely great height, strong frame, good hands and decent touch in close. She runs the court adequately for her size. One of her best offensive moves to catch a high lob and lay the ball up. Defensively, she can block shots. She needs to add more sophistication on offense but as the saying goes “you can’t teach height”.

Young showed one of the best motors in the entire event. A lefty, she scores mostly in the lower paint. On defense, she is quick enough to guard a perimeter player. A sure mid-major recruit, her progress is being monitored by Power 5 programs who will be looking to see if she is building shooting range (a current deficiency).

Blackwell is a physical wing. She can lead or finish the break. For a young player, she has a decent pull-up jumper but it still needs to get smoother in its motion. Able to outplay many older opponents, her progress is being monitored by Power 5 programs.

Coleman has a medium-solid build useful to attack the basket. When she started to hit multiple threes, observers really took note. At least a sure mid-level prospect, Coleman just needs to rev up the motor a bit to attract even higher level interest.

Hyman combines above average athleticism and handles with superior size for a “one”. Her ability to enter the ball to the post from different angles is like an art form. A Power 5 prospect regardless, she (like most point guards) needs to add shooting range.

Akunna Okwonko, 6-2, center, PSPA Rams 17u (Alexandria, Virginia)

Okwonko is another strong bodied post with good hands and game around the basket. A decent finisher in close, she needs to become more fluid in her scoring motion. BCS programs are monitoring progress.

Thompson loves to get out on the fast break often going coast to coast with the ball. A lefty, she looks to attack the rim in the quarter court. With a good motor, she rebounds and blocks shots well. Power 5 programs should be monitoring her progress. .

At age 12, Watkins has a body that looks 19. Going into seventh grade, life is rarely easy for extremely tall girls faced with dealing with often cruel males of this age. Already a well known name in Deep South recruiting circles, we should not be too critical if she takes plays off or misses a shot. With good hands, decent feet and fairly strong build, Watkins has a very high ceiling but we must remember, she does not turn 13 until this fall!

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We cover Girls Basketball and travel to so many places throughout the year looking for special talent, top teams, rival games, and playoffs! We decided to allow people to watch and getter a better understanding besides reading about it or seeing a photo of a player/team. Feel free to chime in and let us know what other talent is out there!